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Help with child's constant pneumonia!

17th April 2000, 03:12 PM

I have a 17 month old boy whom I have babysat ever since he was 2 mos old. He is blonde, very fair complected with blue eyes. He was always a good baby although sort of high strung. He is definitely strong minded and strong willed. He loves the outdoors. Enjoys playing pretty much with anything that is not a toy (although he likes those too). He seems to have some "Sulphur" characteristics but without the odor. He is very smart. He is not cuddley or very affectionate. Likes stumping on things especially the pets. From late afternoon and on he can be very hyper.
He never seemed to like his formula, prepared with regular tap water. Stopped drinking it pretty much around 8 mos. At that time he was taken to a relative's house (whom he didn't know) and left there for 2 weeks. There he was introduced to cookies, ice cream, chips, etc. When he returned to me he had Pneumonia! That is when things started going on down. That is the beginning of antibiotics. A month later his dad managed to give him his cold and the boy got a cold that lead to another pneumonia. Father is there usually on weekends and smokes (now he supposely does it only outside). No initial bonding with the father since his dad didn't want much to do with him. Two-three monts later, in the fall, he had another boust with pneumonia. They are always triggered by a cold. By now it is winter time and he has had colds one after the other that never seem to clear up. Of course these caused painful ear infections. Very rearly did he have a fever. No problem with teething eiher. ENT would love to put in tubes.
During this time he was not his happy, smilley person. He took solid food okay. He not seem to care for milk. Loves soy milk that you can get at the health stores.
For some reason now he doesn't seem to like to eat very much solid foods. He would prefer to eat the very mushy baby foods over something he would have to chew. He seems to like swallowing the food instead. Of course the mother doesn't provide baby food in jars any more but instead offers a lot of canned processed foods. Some of them not for infant/toddlers. By now we found out he has food sensitivities to oranges and their juice, pineapple, ketchup or heavy tomato paste. He gets a diaper rash. Oh, and those antibiotics would trigger a yeast rash in the diaper area that has been hard to clear up. They prescribed anti-fungal creams.
So all winter he has had a rattling chest with runny nose. The majority of times crusty and yellow, later clear.
After giving a decongestion over the weekend it managed to stop his runny nose but that Monday I had to take him to the ER with Pneumonia again (4th time). For some reason he seems to be fairly well at my house but when he stays at his house over the weekend he would come back sick every Monday. The mother attributed to the carpet and chemicals in that house. However they have moved in the last two months and no serious improvement has been noted.
So ever since then a period of at least 2 months, perhaps more, he has had a runny nose. When it runs it is clear but there are crusts in his nose. Sometimes it is very yellow ripe. He has also had the wheezing, sometimes rattling, in the chest for a long time. This last month he has been having a cough too. It sounds dry, loud, tickling. We gave him Phosporus 6x but it only eased off the cough, no effect on the nose or rattling. During that time the father cut the grass, seeded it and fertilized it. That night the boy got a very bad suffocating cough, no fever. We used arsenicum. Still the nose persists. For the fluid in his ears we went to a Pediatric Chiropracter and she adjusted his head and back. His ears were fine after that. During the initial onset of those colds in the fall/winter I had given him Pulsatila and Antimonium Tart 6x. I don't think they really helped.
This Monday he came back after a 3 day break with bronchitis. He had ended up in the ER. He had a fever, cough, lots of chest rattling and couldn't breath well. He had a nebulizer treatment and was sent home with antibiotics and abuterol syrup which is not working as good as the inhaler. Remember that after long periods away from here something happens to get him sick. I found out that they had relatives visiting but they smoked only outside and supposely did not do so around the child.
Mother doesn't offer a great variety of healthy foods or snacks. Most of them are processed full of salt or sugar. She herself has always suffered from anemia due to bad diet (dislikes dark green, leafy vegetables and most meats) and does not tolerate supplements. Her pregnancy was not very easy and there was antagonizing from her husband. She, though loves the boy very much. She offers him foods from her plate which I don't think are helping. She works full time and goes to college full time. I have the child the majority of time from morning till night. Only a couple of evenings he would go to another sitter which he did not care for and would get into a hysteric crying and a fit before I even had a chance to park and drop him off. Thank goodness, the mother dropped off that class and the child does not have to go through that anguish.
So as he he is still still sick (ears are okay so far) I am wondering what to give him and what potency. Antimonium Tart sounds good for now. Sulphur had some characterists there too but not as many.
Could some one please give me a better insight on how I could help this child? He has been on so many antibiotics (he does get acydophilus), decongestants, nebulizers, creams and the doctor is pushing for tubes totally disregarding food allergies.
I am a beginner in Homeopathy but have seen how well it can work once given the right remedy. I have introduced the baby's mother to it also and she is excited because it is giving her much more hope than the doctor who doesn't have any clue on what is going on.

Please give us your input into this matter.
Thank you very much from two hopefull women.

Okay, there's a lot of suppression which will have to be dealt with first. This might involve some return of symptoms. You must be prepared to persist through that stage with remedies. The meds will have to be reduced over time in consultation with your Doctor. Cutting steroids and inhalers straight out can cause problems. It is likely that a series of remedies will be needed. The vitality has taken a bashing from all the medications and is now weaker as a result and so more susceptible to "colds". Really this is a constitutional case and should be dealt with by a professional homeopath local to you. GM might take this on, maybe even with Sulphur as you mentioned, but that's up to him.

Comment

I would like to let you know that I tried GM's suggestion for 200c Sulpur and things seemed to have been working well.
The 17th month old has been feeling much better although he still sounds like he has some kind of rattley mucus in his chest.
He had received a slightly higher potency of Phosphorus and then a few days later I tried the Sulphur. His nose didn't clear up for another week after that. He didn't have any other nebulizer treatments either. His chest does get wheezy.
Over all he is doing fine.
Thanks for your suggestions!

Comment

He is doing very well. His cheecks have a very good color and he is in a pretty good mood. He still wants to keep food in his mouth and not chew it for a long time. It makes meal time more chanlenging. That started before his last bronchitis.
The only concern is his diaper rash. Today he got one that was very red and raw. I do believe it has to do with the foods he eats some of the time. The diaper rash creams don't really work on his rash. Then he gets prescribed anti-fungal creams and others that are stronger.
Is there something better that could help him?

Comment

Patience , please, you can not go faster forward than the body reacts.
Leave it be, its what we call a firstreaction, it will dissapear after a while, dont use sutch creams.
If its not completely gone after a month, calcium carb, or medhorrinum will be of choice.

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It may be a good idea to supplement diet with "good bacteria" acidophilous/bifidous as the previous antibiotic use depleted intestinal flora. My daughter suffered from bad diaper rash from yeast overgrowth caused by antibiotics and this was helpful.

Man, do not pride yourself on your superiority to animals. For they are without sin and you in your greatness defile the earth by your appearance on it and leave traces of you foulness after you. Dostoyevsky

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I thank you both for your replies.
Yes, he does take acidophilus tablets 3-4 times a day. Plus he gets yogurt with almost every meal or as a snack.
I don't use those stronger creams. If anything I use the normal diaper rash ointments. I know that his mom has once in a while applied a yeast rash cream.
It worried me when a couple of months ago the pediatrician, who didn't know what was causing this rash, prescribed an even stronger anti-fungal cream.
I wasn't sure if I should use the normal creams or if I should try some homeopathic ointment to help him with the soreness.
Other than that I am not messing with his remedy, which seems to have worked wonderfully for him. It saved him from getting ear tubes, etc.!!
I believe he should do fine during the summer months. Hopefully come fall/winter he will not start the same pattern of colds and infections. A smoking parent and a periodic visit relative that smokes seem to trigger things.
GM the two remedies you mentioned (calcium carb or medhorrinum) are in the 200c potency? And how do those exactly help following a sulfur treatment?
Again thanks to all of you.

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Hi,Just from experience,both parents smoked in house, made me feel sick constantly,used to go breathe in my pillow,but they ripped out my tonsils,adenoids and stuck tubes in. Grew up with almost monthly,ear inf.,sore throat, resp. infections and other symptoms that nowadays we know to be tobacco overdose. I vowed never to smoke, then I did smoke.But luckily I dont anymore. LindaM.

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Attention needs to be paid to creams used as can interfere with remedy action. Please list just in case...
Usually a simple aqueous cream or calendula cream is sufficent, you may want to add aloe and wheatgerm oil.
Anyhow, let us know.